Current interests

Ileana Silvestre Patallo's present interests are linked to the clinical and physical aspects of dosimetry in radiotherapy. She recently joined NPL from a clinical background and is able to apply her knowledge and experience to a series of projects within the Radiation Dosimetry Group. Ileana is also interested in QA aspects of radiotherapy, from calibration to patient specific treatment planning verification. She has a keen interest in the methods for primary calibration as well as new trends in dosimetry for small fields.

Biography

Ileana obtained her Nuclear Engineering University degree in 1987 from the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering (FNSPE) of the Czech Technical University in Prague, with emphasis on dosimetry and applications of ionising radiation. In 2007 she achieved her MSc degree in Medical Physics from the Higher Institute of Advanced Sciences and Technologies in Havana with the research project 'Diversification of the use of the Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) iViewGT'.

From 1987 to 1992 Ileana worked as a junior researcher in the main laboratory for mining industry in Cuba, specifically introducing X-ray fluorescence techniques for quantification of different minerals in rocks from Cuba's soils. In 1992 she joined the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Department of 'Hermanos Ameijeiras' Hospital in Havana where she reached the position of senior medical physicist. In 2000 she joined the Department of Radiotherapy of the research and teaching hospital 'National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology' in Havana. In the same year and later in 2002 she was hired by the Costa Rican Social Security Fund to work as an adviser and responsible medical physicist for the Department of Radiotherapy in the Hospital San Juan de Dios. As a medical physicist, Ileana was involved in the organizational, clinical and physical aspects of external radiotherapy (3DCRT and IMRT), brachytherapy as well as total body irradiation with electrons, photons and radiosurgery treatments.

She has been involved in several IAEA coordinate research and regional projects aiming towards improvement of QA procedures for radiotherapy in Latin America and also took part in different expert activities on behalf of the IAEA. From 2005 Ileana lectured on the National Residency Program in Oncology in physical aspects of radiotherapy and treatment planning, as well as on the National Registered Diploma course 'Physics of Radiotherapy', the course accepted to license medical physicists for radiotherapy practice. Between 2003 and 2009 she was a visiting lecturer at the Higher Institute of Advanced Sciences and Technologies, Havana teaching the introductory course 'Medical Radiation Facilities'.

From 2002 to 2010 Ileana was member of the Cuban external audit team for comprehensive audits of radiotherapy practice as well as of the advisory committee for RT equipment. She is member of the Cuban Society of Oncology and of the Cuban Society of Physics (Medical Physics section).

Selected publications

• Physical aspects of quality assurance in radiotherapy
  R. Alfonso, P. Andreo, M. Bruneto, E. Castellanos, E. Jimenez, I. Silvestre, D. Venencia
  IAEA TECDOC 1151 Update, Recommendation from a panel of experts from the IAEA
  To be published
• Experimental evaluation of reference dosimetry for non-standard fields in an aperture based IMRT system
  R. Alfonso-Laguardia, E. Larrinaga-Cortina, L. De la Fuente, I. Silvestre-Patallo
  International Symposium on Standards, Applications and Quality Assurance in Medical Radiation Dosimetry (IDOS) STI/PUB/1514, pages 235-247
  ISBN 978–92–0–116210–6IAEA
• The use of the electronic portal imaging system iViewGT in the quality control procedures for a linac in clinical use
  I. Silvestre Patallo, F. García Yip
  Revista Cubana de Física 27 (2B), pages 251-256 (2010)
  ISSN: 0253-9268
• MSc Thesis: Diversification of the use of the Electronic Portal Imaging Device iViewGT
  I. Silvestre Patallo
  High Institute of Advanced Sciences and Technologies Library (2007)
• Experience of the first application of HDR brachytherapy in nasopharynx
  M. Vega Hernández, R. Alfonso Laguardia, I. Silvestre Patallo, C. Roca Muchulí, G. García Heredia
  Rev Cubana Med, 45 (4), ISSN 0034-7523 (2006)
• Controle da porcentagem de dose profunda em equipamentos para terapia superficial
  L. G. Reyes, A. Almeida, I. Silvestre, M. Bernal
  Rev Imagem, 25 (2), pages 93-97 (2003)

Invited presentations

• QA Program for EPID devices and CT used for radiotherapy treatment planning
  Regional training course on Physical Aspects on Quality assurance for 3-D CRT
  Implementation of TECDOC 1151 Update
  Hospital A. C. Camargo and Hospital Albert Einstein (2009)
• Use of iViewGT EPID as photon beam quality control tool
  4th Latin American Conference on Medical Physics (ALFIM) (2007)
• Current possibilities with Cobalt Radiotherapy Treatment Units
  International Conference Onco 2004, 5th Conference of the Oncological Society for Central America and the Caribbean (2004)
• Dose Optimization in Gynecological HDR application with GammaMed PLUS Vaginal/Cervical Applicator Set
  3rd Iberian-Latin American (ALFIM) and Caribbean Regional Conference of Medical Physics (2004)
• Plan parallel ionization chamber cross-calibration in a high energy electron beam. Recommendations from the IAEA TRS 398
  International Conference Oncologia 2003, 2nd International Conference on Medical Physics (2003) 43 6144

Contact details

E-mail: ileana.silvestre.patallo@npl.co.uk
Tel: 020 8943 6144